Police officer demoted for failure to act

Peel constable disciplined for not charging man who struck his wife

A Peel Regional Police officer has been demoted for “neglect of duty” after he failed to charge a man for slapping his wife in an incident that was captured on security video.

It’s the second time since 2014 that Const. Jeffrey Ferro, a 10-year veteran of the force, has been disciplined for police misconduct.

In the most recent case, which went before a police tribunal on Feb. 26, Ferro was demoted for three months, receiving a reduction in rank from First Class Constable to Second Class Constable.

The hearing officer, Supt. Colleen Fawcett, heard that on Oct. 30, 2016, Ferro was called to an assault incident at Terminal 1 of Pearson International Airport.

Ferro viewed security video that showed a man assault his wife “with a backhand strike to her face,” the hearing was told.

After viewing the video, Ferro spoke with a United States customs officer who told Ferro that he witnessed the assault.

Ferro then spoke with the victim, who advised him that she was not hurt or injured and that her husband was upset over the food she had packed in their luggage, and, in his frustration, was waving his arms at which time he “struck her accidentally.”

Both the husband and wife were claiming the contact was “accidental” and no assault took place, the hearing was told.

Ferro later spoke to a Peel police staff sergeant and advised him of the incident, indicating that “there was an assault but he felt it was unintentional.”

Ferro classified the incident as a “verbal domestic” and “failed to accurately report a domestic assault and instead authored a verbal domestic report,” according to an agreed statement of facts.

“Constable Ferro allowed himself to be influenced by the denial of the parties that the violence occurred, by the marital status of the parties, and by the age of the parties,” Fawcett said in her ruling.

According to Ferro’s lawyer, Deepa Negandhi, Ferro is remorseful, understands the seriousness of his conduct and realizes he should have laid charges.